Networks of interconnected computers generally exchange messages formed from digital data. The digital date is made up of digital bits. For better organization, the bits are grouped generally in packets. Each packet is a conveniently sized group of bits traveling together as a unit within a transmission medium. A message is generally made up of one or more packets. When a message is longer than one packet, a plurality of packets are created to carry the message. Each packet forming the message is transmitted, possibly out of order, eventually reaching its destination where the message is extracted from the plurality of packets. When it is permissible for packets to be transmitted or received out of order, a grouping of one or more packets, part of the same message, are called datagrams. A datagram is a unit of data, manipulated as an entity by a data exchange protocol.
Electronic mail or e-mail is formed from the exchange of packets or datagrams by message processing functions. These functions are generally contained within e-mail managers and/or browsers. E-mail messages can contain any binary string as a representation ranging from plain ASCH text to a sequence of video images and/or sound.
Typically, e-mail managers or browsers strive to offer maximum flexibility to the user for the transmission and manipulation of incoming or outgoing messages. These typical application packages provide facilities for editing (cut and paste) and retransmission of a received e-mail message. Generally, only one click of the mouse, or a few keystrokes are required to edit and re-transmit a received message.
Moreover, the flexibility to edit and redistribute a received message in current e-mail managers and browsers sometimes works against the interests of the sender. In certain situations, retransmission of a received message may be injurious to the sender. For example, certain authoring rights associated with copyrighted materials may be diluted or infringed by indiscriminate and unlicensed e-mail editing and re-distribution of the original copyrighted material. Along the same lines, unfettered e-mail distribution of certain confidential lists containing, for example, personal information such as, employment, medical, credit and/or criminal records and the like may also be damaging to the privacy of those listed.